


Adventures in Babysitting

by Piperandleoxx4



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Babysitter Dean Winchester, Babysitter Sam Winchester, College, Drug Use, Drunkenness, Gen, Hospitalization, Parent Jody Mills, Parental Jody Mills, Party, Protective Parent Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-11-29 00:49:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11429703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piperandleoxx4/pseuds/Piperandleoxx4
Summary: Jody has to leave unexpectedly to go to a Sheriff Convention and asked Sam and Dean to watch over Claire and Alex and things don't go according to plan.





	Adventures in Babysitting

Sam and Dean had just got back from a hunt in New Jersey and Dean was more than exhausted. Sam was putting his belongings in the library when he took a glance at his phone and saw that he had a voicemail from Jody Mills. 

“Jody called,” he informed Dean who was already making himself a stiff drink. Sam played the voicemail and put it on speaker, “Hey Sam, I’ve got to a Sheriff convection in Iowa and I completely forgot about it. Now I know you’re wondering why I am even telling you this but I need you boys to watch Claire and Alex. I wouldn’t ask you if I wasn’t in bind. I don’t trust them to be alone and they could use some adult supervision. Call me back if you can. Thanks guys.” The call ended and when Sam looked to Dean to discuss it he already had his head shaking no. “She needs our help, Dean. She would do the same for us!”

“And that’s why I don’t have kids.” Dean quipped.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Shut up, you’re going.”

“Ugh… and I just got back.” He downed the rest of his drink and hopped back into the Impala. He let Sam drive to Sioux Falls for he had big plans to take a long nap. They got to Jody Mills house in the late afternoon. Her car was parked out front and the trunk was wide open with a few small duffle bags taking up the space. Sam knocks on the door with Dean lagging behind him.

Jody answers with an enthusiastic smile. “Hey boys!” she brings Sam in for a tight hug.

“Hey Jody, good to see you again,” Sam said. She gives Dean the same loveable hug but when she released, Dean asked, “Beer?”

“In the kitchen,” she responded promptly. 

“Dude,” Sam chastised his older brother. 

“Not a problem, Sam. I’d be grumpy too since I just sprung this on you.” Jody let Sam into her home. Dean was knee deep in her refrigerator searching for a beer. 

Sam took a seat in her living room and she sat across from him. “So, Jody how did you forget a sheriff’s convention?

“Well it’s no secret that I don’t like these things, so when I got the email about it I put it in my junk pile. It wasn’t until today that I got a call from Donna about how excited she was to go that I remembered. And these things are mandatory.”  
Dean returned from the kitchen with two beers, which he handed the second one to his brother. “But I sure do appreciate you boys coming or the weekend to watch Claire and Alex.”

“And you don’t trust them to take care of themselves for the weekend?” Dean asked. 

She raised her eyebrow at him, “Would you?”

“So I’m guessing it hasn’t gotten better since we last saw them. I mean wasn’t Claire supposed to be going to college How’s that going?” Sam asked. 

“You tell me. She barley talks to me, especially about school. And it has gotten better… and then it hasn’t,” she drifted off, almost as if she was trying to forget some bad memories. 

“What do you mean?” Sam asked.

Jody sighed. “Well they’re still at each others throats most days. Then there is Claire who’s more of a mystery then when Alex first got here. 

From the way Jody rattled on about them, it was pretty obvious that she needed a break. “Well no need to worry we’ll take care of Alex and I’ll knock some sense into Claire,” Dean smiled. 

Jody got up from her chair and grabbed a ready made list of numbers and handed it to Sam. “Here’s a list of emergency numbers and the hotel I’m staying at just in case you can’t reach me.”

Sam took the paper and placed it in his pocket. “We’re not going to need you, but thank you.”

Dean helps her pack the car with the rest of her bags. She stood outside of her car as she ran a mental list of things she needed to tell them. “I gave you the numbers and-Oh! Their schedules are on the fridge and curfew for both of them is 12-“

Sam interrupted her, “Jody we got this.”

“They’re not that easy boys,” she warned. 

“We fight demons, we can handle two teenagers,” Dean said. 

“Fine, just please don’t kill my girls,” she joked. “Thanks again boys.”

“No problem, now get in that car have fun,” Sam insisted. She smiled and gave Dean and Sam a goodbye hug. Then she got in her car and drove away. The boys got back in the house and waited for either Claire or Alex to return from school. Alex was the first one. When she walked in the door she hadn’t even looked up from her phone. It wasn’t until Dean cleared his throat that she noticed that someone was in the room. 

“Holy! -,” she yelled, startled by the sound. She almost dropped her phone in all the commotion. “Hey!” she exclaimed, surprised and confused, almost as if it was a question. “What are you guys doing here? You know that Jody went to a Sheriffs convention, right?”

“Yeah we know,” Sam told her. “She actually asked us to look after you and Claire while she’s gone.”

Alex took a small step back. “Like a babysitter?” she asked with distaste.

“No…we’re just hanging out with you is all.” Sam tried his hardest to sound hip at that moment and it wasn’t fooling anyone in that room.

“Great. Jody doesn’t trust us. Really not surprised. I’ll be in my room.” Alex stomped her way to her room leaving Sam standing in the middle of the living room like an idiot. 

“Good job,” Dean sad sarcastically as he took a swig from his beer. 

“What just happened?”

“You tried to be cool. And it failed. Miserably,” Dean laughed. 

Sam plopped on the couch next to Dean. “Fine, then you try.”

“Don’t have to.”

“Why? Because your just so damn cool?”

“Damn right,” Dean flashed a cocky grin at his brother. 

About an hour later Claire showed, not surprised to see the Winchesters in her kitchen. “Sup boys. Here to play nanny?” she joked. 

Dean pulled her in for a hug, “ Not quite. How did you know we were here?”

“Alex texted me. Plus I saw your car in the driveway.”

“Alex didn’t even see it,” Sam said.

“That girl barely looks up from her phone. I’m shocked she hasn’t walked in to traffic yet,” Claire half joked. 

“Yeah well dinner is in 5. Can you get Alex please?” Dean asked her. 

“Alex!” she yelled. “Dinner!”

“You could’ve gotten her,” Sam said.

Claire shrugged, “It’s faster this way.”

Sam rolled his eyes and continued to set the table. It was nothing fancy, just some pizza and wings from the local pizza joint. When Claire sat down she had grabbed a beer from the fridge, but before she could take a sup Dean snatched it. “Oh come on! I’ve got one year left.”

“Not on my watch,” Dean told her.

Alex quietly sat at the table with her phone in hand texting away. Once everybody was seated at the table Sam began, “Okay, I know everybody here isn’t happy about this weekend but I think that we can have fun.”

There was an awkward pause tat entered the room after Sam spoke. Alex and Claire both exchanged the same type of horrified looks. Clearly Sam was drowning so Dean decided to give him a little help. “This is how it’s going to go; you all act like sensible people for the weekend and we’ll stay out of your hair.”

“Sounds fair,” Claire admitted.

“Fine,” Alex agreed.

Dean gave Sam a shit-eating grin. Sam had underestimated how well Dean can talk to teenagers. 

“Yeah, because then Alex can go to that Frat party at State. 

Alex sent daggers toward Claire. “Shut up!”

She gritted through her teeth. Claire couldn’t help but to laugh. “But good luck getting in. I don’t think they want ex-vampires at their party.”

Alex was tempted to jump across the table but instead held her composure. “Well at least I have friends. You’ve killed all of yours since you’re such a crappy hunter. ‘Oh a werewolf! Oops no just an innocent bystander!’” 

That hit a spot for Claire. She got up from the table and walked out the door. Alex was not fazed and left the table as well to retreat to her bedroom. Dean and Sam sat at the table speechless. “Well that escalated quickly,” Dean said.

“Yeah I’d say so,” Sam agreed.

After they cleaned up the disastrous dinner, Dean made a valiant effort to reach out to Claire.”

“Anything?” he asked Dean while putting the dishes away. 

“Straight to voicemail. She probably turned off her phone.” Dean went to straight to Alex’s bedroom. The door was closed but he always felt privacy was a privilege, so he bust in without knocking. “Where did Claire go?”

She was on her laptop and didn’t look up when she answered, “Hell if I know.” 

“Well I think you do know.”

Alex finally looked up from her laptop. “Probably the Junkyard. It’s a bar.

Dean thought that made sense. When he gets pissed he either works on the Impala or he gets drunk. “Great. You’re coming with,” he told her.

She snorted, “No I’m not.”

“You’re the reason why she left.”

“I’m the reason? Did you hear all the things she said about me?”

“Yeah and when we get there she can apologize to you, but I’m not leaving you alone.”

“So? I’m still not going and you can’t make me.” Somehow or another Dean got her in the car. “You guys suck.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

They drove around town following Alex’s directions to this dive bar on the other side of town. It was your run of the mill dive bar. Something Dean and Sam were far too familiar with. When they entered the bar they quickly found Claire sitting in the corner nursing her beer. Dean plopped in the booth next to her forcing her on the inside. Sam had Alex sit on the inside as well so that she couldn’t get out. 

“Seriously? You told them where I was?” Claire said to Alex. 

“I didn’t have much of a choice,” Alex told her as she crossed her arms.

Dean grabbed Claire’s arm. “Come on let’s get you home.”

“No!” she yelled and then yanked her arm away from Dean. “I’m not 12, I can stay out if I want.”

Dean noticed that Claire was slurring her words. She was probably on her 3rd or 4th beer. Dean sighed. “Sam, can you guys wait outside? I need to talk to Claire.” Sam nodded and led Alex outside of the bar. “What’s going on with you?” He asked her. 

She averted her eyes, “Nothing.” 

“Nothing? It doesn’t look like nothing.” She doesn’t answer. “So was there some truth in what Alex said?” No response. He tried again. “You’re not the only hunter to get an innocent killed. It’s happened to me and Sam countless times. We’re not proud of it but that’s the job. Crap happens.”

“Crap happens,” she snapped. “That’s your advice?”

“It’s the truth. Did you think hunting was going to be glamorous?

“No.”

“Then I don’t know what you want to hear.”

“I’m tired of being a crappy hunter!” she gritted. Afterwards she quickly wiped away a tear with her sleeve. “Alex was right. I suck at it. Jody wants me to go to school but I hate school. There’s no career out there for me. I’m not going to become a teacher or a doctor or anything. The only thing I want to do I can’t,” she cried. 

Dean couldn’t understand why someone would want to hunt. Sam and Dean were thrown in this life from a young age, therefore they really don’t know anything but hunting. But Claire is still young, she still had a future. “Why do you want to hunt?” he had to ask.

She took a swig of her beer. “When Castiel possessed my dad my mom went crazy. And then she left me and I felt so helpless. Never again did I want to feel that. Hunting always made me feel in control. I spent the majority of my life in those group homes and got passed around like a rag doll”

“But Jody’s not like that. She takes care of you.”

“Yeah. Yeah I know,” she said with her head down.

“So why treat her the way you do?”

She shrugged, “I honestly don’t mean to. Part of me thinks that she doesn’t care.”

“How could you think that after everything she’s done for you? Jody doesn’t care if you want to go to college or not, she just wants you to be safe.”

“By treating me like a child?” she retorted.

“She wouldn’t treat you like one if you didn’t act like one.” Before she could protest Dean stopped her. “You ran away and got drunk at a bar instead of working out your problems. Doesn’t strike me as mature behavior.”

“That’s fair.” Even she had to admit that what she did was pretty childish. 

Meanwhile Sam was in the car with Alex and the whole time no one spoke. The only sound that was heard was the ‘bing’ that went off every time she got a text message, which was often. Sam was at his last wits with it.

‘Bing’

“You must have a lot of friends.”

“Sure,” she said uninterested. 

‘Bing’

“Technology sure has changed since I was a teenager.” Sam was really fishing for a conversation. “When I was your age cell phones were barely a thing. If we wanted to talk to our friends outside of school we would have to call their house phone. And then we would risk their parents picking up or-,”

“Can I use the restroom?” She desperately chimed in. 

Sam was slightly relieved. “Yeah of course. Do you want me to go in with you?”

“No that’s okay. I’ll find it myself.” Alex didn’t waste a second in getting out the car. He watched her go into the bat and then cursed at himself. He didn’t understand why he was having such trouble connecting to teenagers. A few moments later Dean and Claire entered the car. Dean slid into the drivers seat while Claire got into the back. 

“Where’s Alex?” Dean asked.

“Restroom,” Sam answered.

“No she’s not,” Claire told them.

Dean and Sam turned around in their seats to face Claire.

“What do you mean,” Sam asked her.

“I was just there. No one was in there.”

“Are you sure?” Sam asked her again.

“It’s one person stall. I think I would know if someone else was in there.”

The boys bolted out of the car and into the ladies restroom. Claire was right, it was empty and the window was wide open. Dean looked out the window and could see fresh tire marks in the dirt.

“Perfect….” Sam sighed.

They return to the car and Dean turns around to face Claire again. “Alright, where is she?” he asked her.

“Where do you think?”

“The Frat party,” Sam realized.

“Bingo,” Claire said.

Dean raced toward the college. “So we find one and then we lose the other,” Dean said fuming. 

“Best babysitters ever,” she said sarcastically. 

“Shut up,” Dean said under his breath. 

“I mean seriously, how do you two not have kids of your own?”

Dean was tired of hearing her mouth. “Because we’d be afraid we would get something like you two,” he quipped. 

“Touché,” she nodded. Even she had to admit that she as a handful. She could tell when they were getting closer to the university. College kids paraded the sidewalks. Most of them were stumbling about trying their hardest to get to the next house so that the party doesn’t have to end. Claire directs them toward his 2-story house with large Greek letters plastered on the front. The whole yard was littered with red solo cups, very drunk students and passed out men and woman. It was quite the scene. 

“This it?” Dean asked looking out the window. He couldn’t imagine Alex attending a party like this. 

“Yup,” Claire answered. She was looking at the same disastrous sight that Dean was looking at. 

“And why would she come here?” Sam wondered.

“A boy,” Claire simply stated. 

“You would think after finding out her last boyfriend was a vampire she would lay off the romance for a while,” Sam said.

“Yeah, you would think. But lately she’s been acting out,” she told the boys.

“Acting out how?” He asked concerned. Jody knew something was up with her but she couldn’t figure out what it was. 

“Just going out late to these frat parties. I’ve covered for her in the past but then she would come home with these massive hickies and all she would do is text that guy, so she got annoying. 

“So you stopped covering for her,” Sam chimed in.

“Well I haven’t told Jody yet, but yeah.”

“Well, alright. Let’s go in and grab her,” Dean said as he got out the car. Sam and Claire followed him to the front door where this burley kid wearing a letterman jacket stood. “Hey, listen we need to get through,” Dean said nonchalantly. 

The kid looked at at him without a care in the world. “It’s $10 a cup.” He looked past Dean and Sam and see’s Claire. “The chick can get in for free.” Claire rolled her eyes.

Dean then shoved the kid so his back slammed against the front door. “Listen,” He looked at the jock’s jacket and saw the kid’s name written in cursive, “Derek, you’re gonna let us in. If you don’t I have no problem severing your throwing hand. 

The poor jock could get a glimpse of Dean’s knife in his jacket pocket and moved aside so they could walk in. “You guys can come through,” he said with a slight tremble in his voice. Sam didn’t think it was necessary for Dean to threaten the kid but at least it got them into the party. Boys having a beer chugging contest greeted them. “No wonder you didn’t want me to pick you up from college. Look at what you missed out on,” Dean smirked. He then ogled college girls dressed in tight outfits that hugged every curve, not leaving anything to the imagination.

“Yeah, not my style Dean,” Sam said shaking his head.

“Yeah, you were the stay in the library until it closed kind of guy.”

No matter how annoyed Sam was at Dean’s comments, he knew he was right. “Whatever…”

“We should split up. Cover more ground,” Claire suggested. 

“I’m not letting you out of my sight,” Dean told her.

“Do you want to find Alex or not?” she argued. 

Dean takes a second to think. “Fine.” He then grabbed Claire. “You’re coming upstairs with me and Sam you search down here.”

Claire struggled to get out of Dean’s grip, “This is not what I meant!”

“Well this is what you got.” Dean led her up the stairs and down the hallway. They had to push past the drunken teens and step over a lonely pile of vomit. They searched the first 2 bedrooms and only found kids making out or smoking weed. Sam, on the first floor, was having just as much luck as Dean and Claire was having. 

Dean and Claire entered the third and final bedroom and found Alex passed out on the bed. There were 2 other guys in the room high off of who knows what on the bed with her but were conscious. 

Claire ran to Alex and desperately tried to wake her. “Dean she’s not waking up!” she yelled, panicked.

Dean grabbed the one kid by the shirt. “What did you give her?!”

“Nothing! She took it herself!” the half conscious kid answered back. 

Dean then looked around the room and saw crushed cocaine lined up on the table. “Cocaine? Since when has she been doing cocaine?”

“I don’t know!” Claire yelled back. She slapped Alex across the face a few times to try and wake her, praying she wasn’t dead. Finally her eyes fluttered open.

“Claire?” she said, weakly. “What are you doing here?”

“Saving your life,” she said as she attempted to pick her up off the bed but her dead weight was too heavy. Dean responded quickly and got the other side of Alex and helped her walk out of the room. Sam saw Dean and Claire struggling to get Alex down the stairs, especially with the staircase being overly crowded with college kids. 

Sam pushed the kids out of the way so that Dean and Claire had a clear path. “What happened?” Sam asked as he followed Dean out the door.

“She’s high off of cocaine,” Dean told him. Sam didn’t say anything but his face said it all. He couldn’t believe Alex would do something like that. He knows that she’s gone through a lot, but he couldn’t understand why she would turn to something like that. Once they got Alex settled into the Impala, Dean sped away. 

“What are we going to do? Does she need to go to the hospital? Should we call Jody?” Sam sputtered off frantically. 

“I don’t know,” Dean needed time to think. “Is she still conscious?” he asked Claire.

“Yeah, barley…,” Claire responded.

Dean took a quick look at Alex in the rearview mirror and she was truly in a bad way. He wouldn’t forgive himself if he took her home and something happened. He made a decision. “We’re taking her to the hospital. Sam, call Jody.” Sam made the call. 

When they got to the hospital Alex was rushed into the emergency room where 2 nurses took her away in a wheelchair. Claire filled out the necessary paper work and from then on it was a waiting game. Jody didn’t arrive for at least 2 hours. They were still in the waiting room when she came in. Dean and Sam stood up, anticipating some sort of greeting but instead she slaps Dean across the face. Even though the sting on his was crucial he didn’t pay it any mind.

“Not even 24 hours I’m gone and Alex ends up in a hospital. I trusted you two!” She chastised them as if they were her own kids and she had every right to. They knew the messed up and deserved everything she threw at them. “How could you two do this to me?”

Claire tried to help. “Jody, it’s not their fault. Alex and I were fighting and then I ran away to a bar-,”

Jody cut her off. “A bar? Of course you went to a bar. So one ends up in a hospital and the other gets drunk. What else do you got for me?” Before any of them could answer a male doctor interrupted them with a pointed clearing of the throat. “Excuse me, I’m Dr. Thompson. Are you Alex’s mother?”

“Legal guardian,” she corrected.

“Great. She is stable now. She didn’t quite overdose but she was close. We have her hooked up to an I.V. to restore some liquids inside her. I’d like to keep her here overnight under observation.”

“Okay,” Jody agreed. 

“Has Alex had any problems with substance abuse in the past?”

Jody shook her head, “No, not that I know of.”

“Okay, we’ll I’d keep an eye on her. I would hate for her to fall under addiction,” Dr. Thompson advised. 

“Can we see her?” Claire asked with hope in her voice.

“She’s unconscious but that’s fine,” he told her.

Claire and Jody went ahead but the boys stayed behind. Dean plopped into the chair. “We royally messed up tonight. I hate that we let down Jody.”

“You know, I just realized something,” Sam said.

“Hmm?”

“Alex did have a substance abuse problem in the past.”

“What are you talking about?”

“She’s an ex-vampire. Their blood addiction is similar to heroin or cocaine.”

“Okay so what are you saying? This was destined to happen?”

“I don’t know about that but maybe she missed the high. She didn’t want to become a vampire again so instead she gets with some sleazy college dudes to provide drugs.”

“Makes sense. Doesn’t really help us now though. Jody’s still pissed at us and we’ll probably never see Claire or Alex again,” Dean said annoyed at himself.

“Oh, come on. You think Jody is that mad? She has to know that this wasn’t our fault.”

“Don’t you get it?” Dean said with some fire. “It doesn’t matter if it is or isn’t. We were responsible for them and this what happened.”

The boys sat in that waiting room for a good hour before they saw Claire. She looked beat. “How’s she doing?” Sam asked her.

“She’s asleep. I’m gonna go home and pack her some clean clothes.”

“How’s Jody?” Even though she was pissed as all hell at the boys, Dean still cared about her well-being.

Claire shrugged. “Pretty quiet. Really hasn’t said much.”

Once Claire drove back to her house in Jody’s truck, Sam and Dean made the bold decision to visit Alex. Jody had Alex’s hand in hers. When she heard the door open she expected to see the doctor or Claire but to her surprise she found the boys standing in the doorway. Hesitant to come in, Dean thought it be best if he asked first. She quietly nodded, so they entered and closed the door behind them. No one spoke for 5 minutes. Sam missed the text message ring that filled the car in complete silence.

Dean spoke. “Jody- we are really sorry this happened. We know that you’re pissed at us and we wouldn’t blame you if you-,”

“Stop,” she said softly. “I know what happened tonight wasn’t your fault. I’m not angry at you two. I’m angry at myself. I thought when I took on Alex and Claire that I could do this. I could finally be a mom again. I missed being a mom so much. But somewhere I lost them both. Claire started acting out and never talked to me and just when I finally get Alex in this great place, this happens,” her voice cracks. She fought back tears but they came anyway. “I think I just have to face it. I don’t know how to be a mom anymore,” she sobbed. Dean brought her into a hug and she continued to cry on his shoulder. “I’m a cop and I didn’t know she was doing drugs in my own house.”

“It’s not your fault, Jody,” Dean tried comforting her.

“How could you say that?”

Sam touched Jody’s leg. “Claire and Alex are very unique girls. Alex belonged to a vampire family where her only use was to feed them and Claire’s dad is possessed by Cas.”

Jody let out a small chuckle. “True. But-,”

Sam stopped her, “Jody, you are doing the absolute best you can and we think you’ve done a hell of a job. We don’t know how you do it.”

“Yeah, seriously,” Dean added.

“I still have a major problem,” Jody began, “what do I do about Alex?” The question loomed in the air all evening into the morning. Claire had returned with Alex’s change of clothes. When Alex woke up another doctor examined her and told Jody that she was free to go. 

When they got back to Jody’s house all hell broke loose. Jody slammed the front door. “Everybody sit down!” Sam and Dean were about to as well when they both realized that she was talking to Claire and Alex. “First and foremost you two need to apologize to Sam and Dean for having to run around the city looking for you two.” In unison Alex and Claire said, ‘I’m sorry’ to the boys. “And second, what the hell were you guys thinking?” She turned to Claire. “Claire, you know you’re not supposed to be drinking. You are 20 years old and I know you’re only a year away but the law is the law. Hand over the fake I.D,” she demanded. Claire digs in her pocket, grabs the I.D. and hands it over. “And Alex, drugs? I don’t even know what to say to you.” Alex sunk deeper into the couch. “If you were going through something why didn’t you come to me?” Alex shrugged. “Answer me!” Jody yelled. Sam and Dean flinched.

“I don’t know, okay? I don’t know why I did it!” Alex yelled back.

“But that wasn’t your first time was it?”

She shook her head, no. “I started a couple of weeks ago.”

“Why? And don’t say I don’t know. I want a real answer,” she told her.

“It made me feel something,” Alex admitted. “I’ve been feeling pretty lost lately and this guy had me try it at a party and it reminded me of how I felt when I drank blood. I thought that I could control it.”

“Well you can’t because nobody can. That’s why it’s called addiction! Sioux Falls has an excellent rehabilitation center; you’ll be going there for the next month.”

“Jody-!” she protested.

“This is not up for negotiation Alex,” Jody snapped. She ten took a moment to collect her thoughts and her face softened. “I care about you girls so much and doing this is not easy, but you two aren’t making this easy for me. All I’m trying to do is protect you two.”

“Yeah, but we don’t need a babysitter,” Claire said.

“Clearly you do! I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if Dean and Sam weren’t here last night.” She had a point and they knew it. “You want trust? You want respect? You’ve got to earn it. You understand me?” Once again all in unison they tell her that they do. “And I think it goes without saying that you two are grounded until further notice. Now go to your rooms.” Alex and Claire walk to their bedrooms and close the doors. Jody takes a cleansing breath. “I’m sorry you boys had to see that.”

“Don’t apologize. You did what you had to do,” Dean said.

“Yeah, but I do have to apologize for slapping you across the face.” The spot was still red and splotchy.

“Don’t worry about it. I did deserve it.”

“No you didn’t,” she said with hurt in her eyes. 

“Well aside from everything, how was the convention? Did you even to do anything?” Sam asked.

Jody chuckled. “Oh yeah. I participated in a whole evening worth of icebreakers, which, was horrible. But at least Sheriff Donna was there to keep me company. She can be pretty fun when you get a few beers in her. She says hi by the way.” The boys smiled at the memory of Sheriff Donna. She’s become one hell of a hunter recently and she’s a pleasure to work with. 

“You going to be okay?” Dean asked her.

Jody sighed, “I don’t know. I think so, but I’ve got a rough couple of weeks ahead of me I feel.”

“Anything you need, feel free t call us. Although after this weekend…” Dean trailed off and Jody laughed. “ Under the circumstances you boys did a great job. Really.”

“I don’t know if we’ll agree with that, but thank you,” Sam smiled. 

Jody’s smile faltered and turned into a frown and led out a deep sigh. “I just can’t believe Alex has to undergo rehab. She struggled so hard when she was getting clean from blood. I just would hate to see her go through that again.”

“Yeah, but she got through that and she’ll get through this.” Dean gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “It’s going to be alright, Jody.” 

She nodded her head, “I hope so.”

Jody gave Dean and Sam a good-bye hug and sent them on their way. They got in their car and let the past 24 hours wash over them. The car was quiet for a while and for once the silence was nice. When they got 40 miles from Jody’s house Dean said, “I say we go on a 2 week vacation. No hunting, no reading about hunting, no thinking about hunting. Just you and me and the beach. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

“No arguments here,” Sam smiled.

 

THE END


End file.
